Try blocking the whole thing in with simple overlapping primitives in Max/Maya. Import the result as an .obj to zbrush and make a unified mesh from it. Then start sculpting.
It could be done with a combination of modular rock models and terrain tools. If you were using something like UDK, you could sculpt a big pit with the terrain tools, then add the models in layers going up to add roughness and overhangs.
The rest would just be tweaking the ground texture blending and vertex painting on the models to achieve the desired effect. Throw in some rock/pebble models and maybe some mesh painting and you've got yourself a scene.
EDIT:
Depending upon how far away the backdrop is, you could actually get away with doing a tiled, normal mapped texture on terrain or even just image planes.
Try blocking the whole thing in with simple overlapping primitives in Max/Maya. Import the result as an .obj to zbrush and make a unified mesh from it. Then start sculpting.
yeah thats probably what I would do, then bake it out as a height map that I'd use for a terrain in UDK or crysis, and start detailing it further in there.
I would actually not do the whole heightmap thing. The terrain resolution you'd need to get a good result would be too memory intensive.
I would make a single section of ledge with a mini scree slope built into the top of it. Then copy and paste that ledge around to make the level. If you made the ledge slightly curved a couple of them would make a full circle.
You could use vertex colour blending to make them appear different.
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WM is a pretty neat program since their new nodebased shadersytem is very similar to what you might find in any up to date game engine these days.
The rest would just be tweaking the ground texture blending and vertex painting on the models to achieve the desired effect. Throw in some rock/pebble models and maybe some mesh painting and you've got yourself a scene.
EDIT:
Depending upon how far away the backdrop is, you could actually get away with doing a tiled, normal mapped texture on terrain or even just image planes.
yeah thats probably what I would do, then bake it out as a height map that I'd use for a terrain in UDK or crysis, and start detailing it further in there.
I would make a single section of ledge with a mini scree slope built into the top of it. Then copy and paste that ledge around to make the level. If you made the ledge slightly curved a couple of them would make a full circle.
You could use vertex colour blending to make them appear different.